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Asphalt Trap
Location: Grafton, West Virginia Date: April 23, 1990 Story On the morning of April 23, 1990 outside of Grafton, West Virginia, many Department of Highway trucks were out in force to repair potholes and other road damage left by winter weather. 30-year-old Allen Menear and his fiance, Dawn Keener, were westbound on US Route 50 that day, taking their dog, Dana, to the groomer's; not knowing that this drive would change their lives forever. West Virginia State Highway superintendent Donna Gallagher happened to be driving down the same road, on her way to a nearby worksite, when she noticed an asphalt truck coming down the hill. In her rearview mirror, she noticed its wheels slipping off the road. After she rounded the curve, she lost sight of it, so she called for its driver on her radio, but because he did not respond immediately, she quickly turned around and headed back in the other direction, at which time he told her to call for help because he had turned over onto a car. Dawn and Allen were stuck in the wreckage of their car, with 300-plus-degree asphalt spilling rapidly onto them through the broken windshield. Donna placed a call for help on her radio, and upon hearing it from the worksite where she had been headed, foreman John Cross and crew member Anthony Rome came to help with shovels. Meanwhile, Dawn, despite her burns from the hot asphalt, managed to escape from the wrecked car, but Allen was pinned in and could not get out, while continuing to be burned. When Donna arrived at the scene, she noticed a couple of other cars had stopped and the drivers were attempting to help free Allen, who had been a lifelong friend of her own children. She assured him that even though he was severely burned, they would be able to get him out. She also thought about keeping less severely burned Dawn calm in case she went into shock. When Dawn removed her jeans, the skin on her legs rolled off due to the burns. John and Anthony then arrived to begin extricating Allen from the car. When Anthony was working on attempting to free Allen, he could tell how hot the asphalt was, so he was not expecting Allen to have either of his legs after the ordeal. He felt a rush of adrenaline knowing that Allen was being burned, and not knowing whether he would be able to save him or not. Everyone was frantic as they tried to remove him, but Dawn assured Donna that he would be fine and they would successfully do so. Dawn felt tortured not being able to help him herself, saying that was just as painful as the burns. They managed to pull the truck off the car and get it back upright and on the road, but the driver's door of the car was jammed and its roof was smashed down, nearly on top of Allen, who was still frantically screaming to get him out. John felt his skin getting very hot through his gloves, but tried not to pay any attention to it, thinking more about getting help for Allen, who was finally freed after twenty minutes. Donna stated that they did not want to remove any asphalt because doing so might cause bad bleeding from the burns or any form of shock. A Grafton ambulance then arrived with EMT Lottie Moyer, who took charge of Dawn and Allen's care. She did not know how their body systems would react to the intense heat. Dawn knew that Allen's condition had to be much worse than her own, since she had gotten out of the car as quickly as she had. She and Allen were then airlifted to West Penn Burn Center in Pittsburgh. Allen's condition was critical, his injuries covering nearly half of his body and being down to the level of his bones. Plastic surgeon Dr. James Smith was called in to help save Allen's leg. He was concerned that, despite any reconstruction efforts, it may not work again or that he may lose it due to infection. His family did discuss the possibility of an amputation, but they decided to reconstruct it anyway despite it being a complicated surgery. He subsequently underwent six operations, with portions of muscle from his back and abdomen used to rebuild it. Dr. Smith stated that Allen was very motivated to get well after the accident, and did so marvelously. He stated there were numerous times when he just felt like giving up, and wondered if life was worth living after the accident, but he learned that a positive attitude will do much better than hopelessness and giving up. Three years after the accident, he coached 8 to 12-year-olds in football, and despite being slightly less mobile than he used to be, he was still an excellent coach and very good with the children. Allen said that, despite having occasional pain and a less-than-perfect-looking leg, it was his leg and that was it. Dawn then stated that each day was a blessing, especially after it all could have ended three years earlier. Eight months after the accident, on December 15, 1990, she and Allen were married. She said that the accident brought them even closer together and made them realize how much they loved each other even more. Allen said he was glad to be alive, and thankful for everyone who helped get him out of the car; saying that if it weren't for them, he may not be alive. When Donna would see them walking around and having fun, it made her realize how worthwhile all their efforts were in helping them, and she went on to thank everyone who took part in it. Category:1990 Category:West Virginia Category:Motor-Vehicle Accidents